Romanian DSO completes 14 mln euro substation upgrade

BUCHAREST (Romania), March 25 (SeeNews) - Romanian power distribution system operator (DSO) Retele Electrice Muntenia, part of Greek utility Public Power Corporation (PPC), said on Monday it has completed a 70 million lei ($15.2 million/14 million euro) project to modernise the largest distribution substation in the country.

The modernisation of the Nord power station involved the consolidation of the building and the replacement of power equipment, all without interrupting supply, Retele Electrice Muntenia said in a press release.

The station, situated in central Bucharest, serves over 73,000 clients, including critical central institutions, hospitals, and various ministries. The cost of the project was covered internally by the company.

The benefits brought by the modernisation works include increased safety in supplying existing customers, enhanced flexibility of the high and medium voltage network, and the ability to accommodate growing consumption demands and customer numbers, the company said.

The station's building, dating back to 1969, went through a complete consolidation, with over 11,000 tonnes of masonry and reinforced concrete elements demolished. The installation of new equipment has freed up 60% of the available space, with plans for a technological testing and development center for Retele Electrice. The remaining space will be used for expanding electricity distribution facilities if necessary.

The Nord station features six 40 mega volt amper (MVA) power transformers, resulting in an installed power of 240 MVA and a guaranteed power of 160 MVA. The peak load recorded so far has been about 127 MVA, surpassing the load on the entire Giurgiu county.

Last year, PPC acquired Enel Romania, the former parent company of Retele Electrice Muntenia, for a total of 1.24 billion euro ($1.34 billion).

Retele Electrice runs three distribution companies that operate electrical networks with a total length of over 133,000 km, including 287 primary stations and over 24,000 substations in the Romanian regions of Muntenia, Banat, and Dobrogea.

(1 euro=4.97154 lei)